Children swarm Santa at the Dec. 13 Channel 2 Share Your Christmas Drive-by Food Drive at the Carson Valley Inn in Minden.
The 32nd annual Share Your Holiday Drive-by Food Drive raised $84,736.07 and 50,853 pounds of food in 12 hours on Friday, according to event sponsor KTVN Channel 2.
The Share Your Holiday Food Drive highlights communities and brings them together by providing neighbors, schools, businesses, and organizations an opportunity to share a mission of fighting hunger.
Carson Valley Food Closet Co-director Cynthia Rodriguez said all donations and support provided during the event stayed within the Carson Valley and benefits the community.
“The Food Drive is essential to meeting increased demands, especially during the holidays and challenging economic times,” said Rodriguez. “It bridges a gap between limited resources and growing needs, ensuring no family has to go without food.”
Volunteers from businesses, organizations, and individuals helped unload vehicles, weigh and sort items, and load food into the food closet truck during the event.
Other volunteers shook signs, wave, and encourage traffic to stop by the event and provide support to the cause.
Dressed as peanut butter and jelly, Caroline Jones and Michelle Ives of Carson Valley Dental Arts were one of several businesses and organizations, waving at passing by vehicles.
They said the dental businesses were having a friendly competition to see who could bring in the most counts.
“It’s some local fun between some of the local dentists,” said Ives. “Winner gets lunch, and looser has to eat Bean Boozels.”
Suicide Prevention Network’s Ava Wilson and Amy Roby were dressed as milk and cookies.
“We are just happy to be out here showing support and to help bring in traffic,” said Suicide Prevention Network’s Debbie Posnien.
Posnien is also on the board of directors for the Carson Valley Food Closet.
East Fork Fire Protection District raised $8,500 from their annual Highway 395 boot collection.
“Our big thing is always the community,” said East Fork Professional Firefighter Kevin May. “The community supports us, so it’s so important for us to support them.”
The Share Your Holiday had four locations raising food and money to support local food banks.
At the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, $218,411 and 85,327 pounds of food was donated to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada; the Nevada’s Governor’s Mansion received $5,946 and 18,084 pounds of food for the Advocates to End Domestic Violence, Friends in Service Helping, and the Ron Wood Family Resource Center. The Fernley’s Raley’s location raised $3,335 and 6,540 pounds of food donated to the Living Faith Christian Fellowship, St. Roberts Bellarmine Parish, and Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Food Pantries; and locally, the Carson Valley Inn hosted the drive for the Carson Valley Food Closet.
